Unexpected Endeavours
by a.brief.dalliance
Summary: Aomine Daiki was most definitely not in love with Kuroko Tetsuya and if he had any say in the matter, it would stay that way. Pity he doesn't. GoM interference included
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So this is my first venture into this fandom and it says a lot about how much I adore this manga/anima that I've actually gotten off my ass to write something for it. I hope you all enjoy it and I apologise in advance if there are any spelling or grammatical errors!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, although I would love to own a Kise plushie**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It had hurt. Hell, it still hurt. His partner, best friend, his _shadow had abandoned him with no notice or warning. Aomine had become so detached from his team and so determined to remove basketball from his life that it had taken a week for him to realise that Tetsu was gone. Once the shock had worn off, Aomine was left to find that his world had shattered. To rub, no pour, salt on the wound, the only person who could even begin to pick up the pieces and glue them together again was nowhere to be found. Damn Akashi wouldn't even tell them whether Tetsu was still in the country._

And so, the end of their Teiko career was inundated with Kise's wails and grief stricken sobs, Midorima's mutterings that were laced with poorly hidden worry, Murasakibara's addiction to heart attack inducing snacks rocketing off the charts and Akashi's piercing glares and shiver inducing snide commands. Aomine himself fled to the rooftops, avoiding everything and everyone. So after seeing all his teammates fall apart as an aftermath of Tetsu's vanishing act, it had been a slap in the face to see he had found himself a new light; that he was _happy_ with that deranged, double-eyebrowed red hair _idiot_ and that weak, weak team.

Back in Teiko, arrogance was always present in Aomine's play, sometimes cheekiness and pure joy would leak through and on the rare times he and Tetsu would fight, pain from those fearsome Ignite Passes – God, did those hurt like a bitch! Multiple times he had had to soak his hands in an ice bucket after matches – but mostly Aomine wasn't affected greatly by emotions during games. The match against Seirin in the Interhigh though, watching Tetsu and Kagami interact had caused something cold and ugly to claw from his chest and up into his throat. It made Aomine want to rip Bakagami away from _his _Tetsu, _his _shadow, and hold him in his arms and make damn certain Tetsu knew exactly whom he belonged to.

Aomine's bitterness, frustration and damn it, that was _not_ jealousy, because no matter how many inappropriate thoughts he had entertained back in the Teiko locker rooms or the infinite amount of dreams in which Tetsu undisputedly held the leading role, prostate before him in suggestive positions and looking up at Aomine with those big blue eyes, begging him to fu- damn it! Aomine was _not_ gay. He was not in lo-, correction, he did not have a crush on the blunette, he had never harboured any feelings more than the strictly platonic ones he felt towards his other friends and he most certainly did _not _ want to engage in extremely homosexual, gay, guy-on-guy, sweaty, _**hot**_ intercourse with Tetsu.

So as the match went on, all the aforementioned feelings shouldn't have flooded Aomine's play but the aggressive, nasty and downright mean way he was playing suggested otherwise. He wanted to humiliate that red headed asshole and he wanted Tetsu to admit defeat, acknowledge that he, Aomine Daiki, was the better player, partner, friend and the brightest damn light Tetsu would ever find and so, through such logic and deduction, Tetsu would choose _him_ this time, for good.

Of course, it all went to hell and whilst Aomine won the match, the already tentative – read non-existent – hold on Tetsu slipped even further from his grasp. All the while, the little 'tiger' got closer with his shadow. Hell, he could practically _see_ the bonds the two were forming, the thick steel chains of friendship and camaraderie tying the phantom player and the wild savage together. And Aomine knew he wasn't imagining things, it wasn't all in his head, _Murisakibara_ of all people commented on the Seirin aces' relationship after seeing the two play.

By this point Aomine had given up on ever getting the quiet boy back by his side; to fill up that raw, jagged, Tetsu-shaped hole that ached constantly in his heart. So to say – that whilst Aomine was sulking and moping over his first loss in a basketball game in years meanwhile trying his hardest to ignore and hide the bubble of joy that was developing in his throat because _dude_, he had just _lost a basketball game_! – Tetsu asking him to bump fists again, and looking up at him with those baby blues that screamed it was _Aomine's _fault that they had parted ways, was a shock would be the greatest understatement in the histories of understatements. Aomine, being Aomine, promptly squashed, stomped, trampled and just for good measure, crumpled up and tossed the hopeful feeling that had blossomed in his stomach, in the trashcan which he then sent careening down into the dark abyss of the 'back of his mind', this was all after he had set the bloody thing on fire, of course.

He had blinked owlishly down at the light haired boy and opened his mouth several times to say something, anything really. It was hard to form words when his brain had just exploded both at the injustice of Tetsu's silent accusation and the improbability of what was happening; what Tetsu seemed to be offering. Eventually he managed to mouth off a comeback that vaguely resembled his usual asshole self and when his body finally responded to the frantic shouts of his fragmented mind, he raised his fist shakily and finally met Tetsu's for the first time in close to a year.

Aomine was not prepared for the responding rush of warmth, ecstasy, giddiness and adoring affection that started in the general area of his heart and spread throughout his torso, into his limbs to the tips of his fingers and toes. It was like immersing himself in a warm bath after running home in a cold winter snowstorm; it was like coming home. And then it hit him. Well, it was more like a freight train had steamrolled over him multiple times. Aomine Daiki had a giant freaking man crush on Kuroko Tetsuya.

That realisation left his legs trembling, knees knocking and his heart seeming to pound right out of his ribcage. While Aomine's mind was exploding _and_ imploding this time round, he watched Tetsu head back to the Seirin players. His team greeted him with proud beaming grins, warm brotherly thumps on the back that threatened to topple the exhausted specialist player, who in turn, flashed a rare, genuine smile back. The following fist bump and _look_ shared between Kagami and Tetsu sent all the warm, fuzzy, hopeful feelings building up in Aomine come crashing down with less grace than Kise's fangirls during a signing event.

For the rest of the day Aomine walked around in a haze and it wasn't until later that night that he realised he had promised Momoi that he would attend practice from then on. Boy, did he regret that one.

* * *

**So thank you for taking the time to read my work! Let me know what you think; whether I should continue this at all, haha. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I had already written this with the first chapter and was actually debating on putting them together. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Aomine fell onto his bed with a sigh. This was ridiculous, hell it had long passed that and was now bordering on insanity. It had been close to a week since his earth shattering epiphany and all that he had _ever_ thought about since then was Tetsu. He would be eating cereal and he'd remember how Tetsu had always been fond of the sweeter brands, especially if they had fruit pieces covered in frosting sugar and how his eyes would subtly light up and the corner of his mouth would kick up a notch. Or Aomine would be brushing his teeth and an image of Tetsu with his sleep bleary eyes and adorably ruffled bed hair which made him look like he had had raunchy sex all night long. At this point Aomine's pants would become uncomfortably tight and he'd have to resort to decidedly unsexy thoughts – like Midorima in ruffled grandma knickers, dancing on an iceberg. That usually killed the mood pretty quickly.

And if it weren't memories of Tetsu, it would be steamy daydreams. But all of that Aomine could handle, and in fact enjoy, what he couldn't stand was the constant replay of all the intimate looks and touches he had seen shared between Bakagami and the object of his obsession. Repicturing those images felt like being kicked right in the stomach, leaving him breathless and slightly nauseous…and there they were again, with the stupid intense stares and the irritating secretive smiles. Aomine flipped roughly onto his stomach and stuffed his face into his pillow to muffle the frustrated scream that was clawing up his throat.

The cheerful chirping of his phone interrupted his internal rant and Aomine tilted his head lazily to check the caller ID. In bright blue letters, the name 'Tetsu' flashed across the screen. Aomine froze for a second and as cliché as it sounds, the blasted organ in his chest actually skilled a damn beat and when it resumed, he could feel the pounding echoing through his whole body. He burst into a frenzy of movement, simultaneously trying to tug his right hand out from under his pillow to grab his phone while violently pushing up with his left which sent the pillow flying into the phone and clattering across the floorboards. Aomine tried to scramble off the bed, kicking at the blankets tangled around his legs and pin wheeling his arms in an effort to regain his balance. He ended up face down on the floor with his lower body still in bed.

Snatching his phone up, he answered out of breath, "Hi."

The silence on the line suddenly dropped by a good thirty degrees, Aomine shivered and shifted restlessly. As a self-taught Tetsu-facial-expression-body-nuances-vocal-and-silence expert, he diagnosed the current mood of the other blunette as bordering on murderous. He began to shift furiously through all his recent actions which could have caused offence and started to clear his throat awkwardly when his ex-shadow cut in, "I'm sorry. Does Aomine-kun have a girl over right now?"

To most people, Tetsu's voice would have sounded very much like his usual blunt, expressionless speech, but Aomine could detect the irritation and scowl which practically dripped from his words.

Shivering with trepidation, he yelled, "W-w-what?! N-no! Of course not!"

As the unexpected, and uncalled for in Aomine's opinion, animosity showed no sign of waning, he became increasingly desperate and without thinking blurted, "Why would I be with a girl? I mean, sure I used to be into chicks with big melons but that was before and come on, people can change right? It's not like I'm an inflexible, close minded moron, you know? I can definitely be with someone who's not a girl. And I'm not saying I'm with anyone at _all! _Just that if I was, why would you assume it's a girl? The only one I could ever want in that way, the only one that's even been on my mind lately, is yo-"

He managed to strangle the last syllable in time, horrified at his verbal diarrhoea. A dark red flush crept up his neck and spread into his cheeks, God, what the hell was _wrong_ with him? He may as well have declared his tendency to develop hard ons for guys and written his feelings for which specific guy roused these feelings in the form of a sappy poem on a pink and red love heart card and shoved it in Tetsu's face all the while tap dancing and singing gay choir show tunes.

There was a brief pause on the other end but when Kuroko spoke next he sounded considerably happier and even slightly…pleased? The tanned boy shook off his confusion as Tetsu continued talking.

"If Aomine-kun is not busy, will he meet me at the street courts in an hour's time?"

"S-sure."

_Click._

Aomine shakily snapped his phone shut, his thoughts going six hundred kilometres a minute. Did Tetsu just ask him out on a _date?!_

* * *

**So you think I should continue this? Again, thanks for stopping by!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys, thank you so much for the reviews and the multiple follows! Feel free to drop a message on what I can improve on and where you think the story should be headed or just comments in general!**

**I know this deviates slightly from the manga, but bear with me. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"You want me to _what_?!"

Kuroko gave off a tiny frustrated sigh, "Aomine-kun, this is the fourth time, but please teach me how to shoot."

Aomine had arrived at their usual courts just on time and out of breath. He had spent the hour after Tetsu's unexpected phone call, for a lack of a better word, primping. His bedroom currently resembled the aftermath of a hurricane which had combined with a tornado and just for good measure, followed by an earthquake and consequent tsunami. Aomine had tried on outfit after outfit, found minor faults in each one then discarded the garments over his shoulder. It wasn't until he checked the clock and realised that he had a quarter of an hour to make the twenty minute trip it would take to get to the courts that he made his final decision. Giving himself a final once over in the mirror – he looked pretty damn good, if he did say so himself – Aomine flew down the stairs an after a hurried goodbye to his mum, he raced out the door.

All the way to meet Tetsu, Aomine practised the multiple ways in which their conversation would go and how to respond to each avenue of possibility. His favourite one so far was a little farfetched, he would admit;

_"H-hi Tetsu."_

_"Aomine-kun. You're probably wondering why I asked you here."_

_"W-well…"_

_"I like you Aomine-kun. I've liked you for a long time now and I would like it if we started dating."_

Then Tetsu would lean in on tippy toes – being utterly adorable all the while – he would be close enough so that Aomine could count the individual lashes on his fluttering eyelids, trace the endearing, pink cupid's bow to his lips, feel the warmth of Tetsu's small hand on his shoulder and the little puffs of warm air on his own lips. Here, his inner self gave a little shrill girly squeal which made him freeze in his tracks. God, he was really losing his mind here, he needed help. Shaking himself physically, he jogged on to his planned rendezvous.

So when the phantom player had cut through the pleasantries and brusquely asked the favour in his customary blank voice, Aomine's bubble of hope was burst unceremoniously. He desperately tried to grab onto the fading imagined scenarios, implementing some of the phrases he had rehearsed but Tetsu just spoke over him and asked the question again.

Grumbling under his breath about how unfair the situation was – damn it, Tetsu shouldn't have sounded so propositional and inviting – he grudgingly gave his agreement. Aomine knew just how impossible the task he had just undertaken was; after all he had practiced many hours alone with his ex-shadow during their Teiko years, even before the light haired boy had become a regular. He brightened a little at this realisation. The amount of time it would take to teach Tetsu to shoot would mean more meetings and more time spent in his presence.

"And", Inner Aomine interjected whilst doing a happy dance, "Notice how he didn't go to _Bakagami_ for help? Instead he came to _us_!"

His mood now lifted, Aomine proceeded enthusiastically with the lesson.

* * *

He had forgotten just how terrible Tetsu was.

Sighing, he picked up the ball and tossed it lightly to the Seirin player. Aomine positioned himself behind the smaller boy, and adjusted Tetsu's stance with a gentle nudge between his legs and guided his arms into position with his own; showing him the gentle flicking movement of the wrist that would guide the orange ball into the hoop.

"Okay, you ready?"

With Aomine directing Kuroko's movements, the ball flew into a perfect arch and swished accurately and silently into the ring.

"There you go. Do you remember the movement and power I just used?"

Aomine had unconsciously leaned down to ask the question so he could distinctly feel the slight tremor that ran through Tetsu's body and hear his sharp intake of breath. When Tetsu answered with a tiny 'yes', there was a breathless quality in his voice that puzzled Aomine. It wasn't until the light haired boy shifted slightly that Aomine realised exactly what position they were in. The full length of his body was pressed against Tetsu's with his feet framing the others, his arms were practically cuddling the smaller boy and if he tilted his head down a notch, his face would be buried in the soft silky locks that he had always wanted to run his fingers through.

A hot flush swept over his body and he cleared his throat self-consciously. Dropping his arms and stepping back, he gestured his hand in the air weakly, "Now you try it."

The look that Tetsu shot him over his shoulder looked a lot like disappointment and for the life of him, Aomine could not figure out the reason. Shaking it off, he watched closely as the boy picked up the discarded ball and prepared to shoot. Disturbingly girly thoughts invaded his head as he observed the other male, thoughts that he should definitely not have towards another _guy_; how lean and _perfect_ his ex-shadow was, how his light blue hair seemed to dance in the slight breeze and shone in the sunlight, how determination shone from his usual blank gaze, how there was a slight pursing of those full pink lips in concentration and how grace and delicacy seemed to exude from his every movement. Aomine felt a sudden surge of protectiveness for the phantom player, he wanted to bubble wrap the small boy and hold him tight so that he would never ever get hurt again.

The familiar dull thunk of ball hitting the metal rim jolted Aomine out of his musings. He barely managed to repress the fond the smile that was threatening to slide across his face when he saw the dejected and sulky pout that Tetsu had developed; he resembled an extremely put out puppy that just had his favourite toy taken away. Moving to scoop up the basketball, Aomine chuckled softly and ruffled his hair as he passed, completely missing the intense burning look that Kuroko shot at his back.

* * *

Aomine couldn't and wouldn't even if he could, stop the look of immense pride and adoration he was wearing as he watched the match against Seirin and Yosen. After hours of failed practice, he had realised that while normal players pass with their palms, Tetsu passes like how a normal player _shoots_, applying in fingertips and wrists in the process. So when Tetsu tries to shoot, he uses the same technique, but as a shot and a pass are completely different, he has trouble gauging the distance to the hoop. After this epiphany, Aomine encouraged Kuroko to use the palm of his hand to thrust the ball forward from his chest. And slowly, the Phantom Shot was developed.

* * *

The match was over. Seirin had won. Aomine turned to leave amid the celebrations and overwhelming noise; cheers, whoops of delight and mutterings and chatters on the newly emerging no-name school. He had spotted Akashi lurking among the spectators and really, the less he saw of his terrifying ex-captain, the better.

By the time Kuroko caught up to him, Aomine had reached the gate that lead into the sports arena where the Winter Cup was held. He hadn't expected to feel a small but strong hand latch onto the crook of his elbow and forcefully turn him around. The tanned player looked down to meet his friend's eyes and lost focus immediately. Tetsu had clearly run after him immediately after the match, he hadn't even stopped to dry off; his hair was in ruffled strands where he had run his hand through it in an effort to lift it off his forehead, his cheeks were pink from exertion and alluring beads of sweat were rolling down the side of his face towards his neck and delicate collarbones. Aomine had the sudden absurd urge to trace the path of the salty liquid with the flat of his tongue, follow the contours of Tetsu's jaw and down to that delectable pale expanse of flesh that peeked from the neckline of his basketball uniform.

"Aomine-kun."

The light reprimand in Kuroko's voice, which told him the Seirin player had tried to catch his attention multiple times, broke the train of his thoughts which was decidedly heading down a lecherous path.

He gave a distracted, "Hm?"

"I wanted to thank you. If Aomine-kun had not helped me in the past few days, today's victory would not have been possible."

And with that, before Aomine could do more than blink, Tetsu leant in, grabbed the collar of his jacket and jerked his head down. He felt a light pressure on his lips which vanished as suddenly as it began. Raising a shaky hand to his mouth, Aomine looked around him in a daze, searching for a familiar head of shocking light blue hair. Not a soul could be seen in his immediate vicinity. Damn bastard had used his misdirection to disappear!

* * *

**Wiki really helped me out a lot in understanding just how the phantom shot works, so the brilliance of the explanation is totally not my work. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone, I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to post this chapter up! It's actually been mostly written for a week now but uni is CRAZY and I just didn't have the time to finish that little bit off. **

**It's a little short but I promise the next chapter will be longer and it should be up before next week! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

If Aomine had expected for things between him and Tetsu to radically change – and he's not admitting anytime soon that he did – then he clearly, definitely, most certainly thought wrong. After that kiss, if you could call such a fleeting press of lips a kiss, Aomine had stumbled home in a cloud of rising hope, elation and pure confusion. It was one thing for him to grudgingly concede, to himself, that he harboured these tender – _unwelcome_ – feelings towards his ex-shadow but it was an entirely different matter for there to be even the slightest molecule of possibility that these emotions were returned in kind. He had spent the week before their next chance encounter replaying the kiss over and over again and so by the time he actually saw Tetsu face to face again, Aomine had unconsciously convinced himself that they were in a _relationship _of some sort. So seeing the light haired boy gaze back at him with his usual apathy in response to Aomine's admittedly squeakier-than-normal greeting had been like a splash of cold water, jolting him back to reality. And to make things a thousand times worse, the stupid red-haired _Bakagami_ had been right next to his ex-shadow, with an arm slung casually over the smaller boys shoulder and the other in the process of reaching up to ruffle the silky blue strands. Seeing the two together, acting so… _couply_ sent him into a tailspin, left him reeling in shock and inevitably led him to become a total and utter bastard to the phantom player.

It wasn't like Aomine set out with a plan to hurt Kuroko or intentionally throw pointed looks and words that might as well have been barbed arrows dipped in lethal poison. He couldn't control himself. Whenever he set eyes on Tetsu, his eyebrows would come bearing down into a glare of their own accord; whenever the smaller boy greeted him, his lips would curl into a hateful sneer that he couldn't stop and whenever Kuroko bravely soldiered past these strong deterrents to start an actual conversation, his tongue would dry up in his mouth then proceed to hurl curt, barbed words in retort whilst his mind screamed in vain for him to just, "_Shut the hell up!_".

It was after one of these disastrous confrontations at a chance meeting in Maji Burger's that whilst Aomine stomped home harshly berating himself (really what was _wrong _with him?! If there had ever been the chance of the phantom player returning his feelings, he had just shot them all to hell, and that wasn't even the worst part. Aomine hated the hurt look that clouded Tetsu's normally blank gaze, the small indent on his lower lip that meant he was chomping down hard in an attempt to hold back tears and the subtle white marks of his clenched fists. And what for, because he had been leaning into Kagami's friendly embrace or was it because he paid more attention to, looked so fondly at, spoke so admiringly of that big lump of an idiot?), Kuroko decided that enough was enough, he had given Aomine-kun more than adequate time to accept the new direction he _wanted_, had always wanted, for their relationship to go. He had hoped that the kiss after Seirin's game with Yosen would be enough to convey his feelings; after all, even Aomine-kun couldn't be that dense. Kuroko sighed; he had underestimated just how thick and dense his previous light could be. It was time to bust out the big guns, the heavy artillery that he had desperately hoped to never need.

As he slipped his phone out of his school dress pants and flipped it open to press speed dial '1', Kuroko's thoughts shifted to the dramatic one eighty Aomine's behaviour had taken. He had seen the pleased look on the tanned boy before Kuroko had slipped away so he was more than surprised when the next time they met, Aomine had reacted with such hostility that was still present now, three weeks later.

A cool, cultured voice broke through his musings, "Tetsuya. You need my help."

It was not phrased as a question, rather it oddly resounded of command, then again since _he_ was the one on the other end of the line, not so odd. Before Kuroko could respond the authoritative voice continued.

"I assume Daiki has been giving you trouble."

Kuroko couldn't stop the small smile that tilted a corner of his mouth up. Although he had not exactly missed the entirely suffocating and dominative way his captain had ruled all the Teiko first string player's lives, it had also been reassuring that the red head always knew what was going on and how events were going to be played out before they transpired.

"Meet me at the park tomorrow, ten sharp. I will alert the others."

_Click._

With Akashi-kun on his side, Aomine-kun wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

**As always, I'd be over the moon if you left a short message, telling me what you thought!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Truly sorry that it took so amazingly long for this chapter to be posted but surgery is killing me and I leave the house at like 5 in the morning and don't get back until 8 in the evening. But no excuses, I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible!**

**Hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"Kurokocchi~!"

Kuroko sighed internally, bracing himself for the inevitable enthusiastic glomp that would be bestowed upon him. Sure enough, a blonde blur could be seen streaking across the park and tackling a small boy with bright blue hair.

"I've _miiiiissed _you, Kurokocchi! You never call or answer my texts!" Kise pouted with his arms looped around Kuroko's neck.

"Kise-kun, please let go of me."

As the model frantically shook his head in denial, an annoyed voice interrupted his squeals.

"As usual, Oha-Asa was correct. Cancer's should stay inside and enjoy a peaceful quiet…" Midorima trailed off as he caught sight of the incredulous gapes Kise and Kuroko were directing at him. As silence stretched between the three ex-team mates Midorima shuffled in his spot, uncomfortable with the unflinching stares. Finally he snapped impatiently, "What!"

That broke the trance Kise was in, who promptly fell to the ground clutching at his middle, howling with laughter.

"Y-y-you're w-wearing-," the blonde broke off, laughter bubbling uncontrollably to the surface again.

"A tutu," Kuroko finished with an amused tilt of his lips. This sent Kise into another fit of hysterics.

Sniffing indignantly, Midorima pushed his glasses further up his nose, conveniently covering the light blush that had spread across his cheeks with his taped fingers then opened his mouth, preparing to blast the two with a well formed lecture on the important correlation between lucky items and the wellbeing of one's health when a tall dark shadow fell over the trio.

"Why is Kise-chin turning blue?" a disinterested voice piped in.

Midorima and Kuroko turned to look up at the purple headed boy who was cradling a mountain of snacks in one arm with a shopping bag bulging of what looked to be more food looped around the same limb and was in the process of tearing open the package of a chocolate bar with the remaining hand.

Kuroko wordlessly pointed at the pink atrocity adorning the shooting guard's waist. A barely detectable glimmer of humour entered Murasakibara's eyes.

The three players watched in silence as the blonde tried and failed to stand up whilst gasping desperately for air between residual giggles. It wasn't until tension thickened the brisk morning air that Kise regained control of himself and stood up straight. The four turned as one towards the red head who had appeared out of nowhere, dipping their heads in greeting.

"Good morning everyone. I'm pleased to see that you're all on time."

"But Akashicchi, Aominecchi isn't here yet…"

At that a wicked smile that would have made the devil himself squirm in discomfort spread across Akashi Seijuro's face, a smile that signified doom and misery on one Aomine Daiki.

* * *

Across town, Aomine woke up in a sweat, looking frantically around his room and half expecting his ex-captain to pop out from his wardrobe. Seeing nothing out of place, he pulled the covers over him and drifted back into a restless sleep still shuddering from the familiar heavy presence and a sense of dreadful premonition that enveloped his body.

* * *

Kise was still sullen by the time the plan was set into motion. He couldn't understand why Akashicchi would favour Aominecchi over him, it was clear that Kise was the one who belonged with Kurokocchi! But the captain had spoken and only a reckless, brainless, idiotic half-witted moron with no sense of self-preservation would dare defy Akashi. So whilst Kise sulked and whined, he had prepped and memorised his lines the night before and was ready to deliver the performance of his lifetime, not that much acting was required. Pretending to be romantically interested in Kurokocchi would be no hardship at all and since Akashicchi had decreed that the two blunettes were destined for each other – and what the red head said, the universe tended to put into action – this would be the last time that the model would be able to hug and touch his smaller teammate freely. Kise was determined to make the most out of his situation.

He turned his best model beam that had been known to send a roomful of girls to sigh and breathlessly lose consciousness on Kuroko who was seated indecently close to him on the diner bench. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the minute blanching of Aomine's hands as his fingers dug deeper into his palm. His smile turning smug and provocative, Kise snaked his arm around the shadow's waist and intertwined his fingers with Kuroko's. As an added measure, he gently nuzzled the soft blue tendrils of his companion's hair. The model received an approving nod from his ex-captain who was, as expected, seated at the head of the table, even if it was just a table at Maji Burgers. It was time to go in for the kill.

"So Kurokocchi, should I pick you up at eight tomorrow? We are still going to the carnival together right? And after, you can stay at my place!" Kise chirped happily.

* * *

The _hell_, Tetsu was going on a _date_ with that air-headed blonde bastard, let alone staying the night!

Aomine was completely bewildered. While it was normal for Kise to be clingy and over familiar with his ex-shadow, Tetsu had never ever let the model do whatever it was that he was doing now. Just looking at the way Kise was twined around the small boy was enough to make his vision go red and his fists clench and earn to relieve the small forward of his teeth and maybe crook some of the straightness out of his nose. Imagining beating Kise's face in calmed the power forward down somewhat, this new found sense of peace was utterly shattered upon Tetsu's quiet reply of, "Okay, Kise-kun."

The chewed up remains of his teriyaki burger went spraying across the table, landing on Midorima's food prompting the Cancer to shoot a withering glare at him.

"**WHAT?! **T-t-tetsu- W-what? You don't _like _that twit! Not in that way at least!"

Kuroko sent an expressionless look to his previous light, "At least he had the courage to ask and act on his feelings."

The seemingly blank statement was loaded with undertone and, honestly, _hint hint,_ Ahomine! The table collectively held their breath, waiting for the darker blunette to drag the other forward by the collar and plant a long awaited smooch then proceed to posture and yell that Tetsu was _his damnit!_

Instead, Aomine paused then blanched and stood up so fast the whole bench skidded back despite Murasakibara's considerable weight.

"I-I have to go."

A quick nod to Akashi then he was gone.

Silence reigned over the remaining members of the Generation of Miracles.

"Time to take things up a level."

This was stated with steel in his voice and a cold ruthless glint in his eye.

The four players looked at their captain, then each other and gulped.

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to read! If there are any suggestions as to where this story should be headed or criticism for this last chapter (I find Akashi extremely hard to portray) please leave a message!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! So this took awhile because I was truly confused as to where I wanted the story to go. During my morning shower today, inspiration struck, and this is the result. I hope you all enjoy this! And I apologise in advance, there isn't much Kuroko/Aomine interaction in this chapter but we're getting there!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

"Your turn, Shinatro."

Midorima swallowed forcibly and opened his mouth, preparing to launch into his well thought out spiel of reasons as to why he shouldn't, couldn't and wouldn't pretend to be romantically interested in the phantom player. But before he could utter a single syllable a pair of mismatched eyes turned its laser like gaze towards the tall green haired man at the table. Said shooting guard felt the blood leave his face and dread settle heavily in his stomach.

Akashi clearly took his silence and look of trepidation as agreement as he turned to Kise and commanded him to write down tips and lines for Midorima to follow and practice before the next week.

With a sad mental farewell to his psychological health and stoic reputation, Midorima resigned himself to the performance of a lifetime.

* * *

"…remember to smile, maintain eye contact, blush if possible…_flutter eyelashes_?!"

Midorima was about ready to kill all his middle school team mates. But remembering how Akashi was a member, hell, _head_ of said team, he settled for attempting to glare a hole through the smudged, stained and rumpled piece of paper that a certain bubbly blonde had handed to him cheerfully and with no small amount of glee and anticipation. Taking a deep calming breath, the talented long ranged shooter raised the guide and braced himself for further frustration and homicidal thoughts. He was so immersed in mentally commentating – with a heavy dose of snide and sarcasm – at each ridiculous line of script that he failed to notice his team mate creep up behind him, peering over his shoulder curiously. When Midorima felt gentle puffs of air – which sent wonderful shivers up and down his spine and made his leg muscles go weak and jelly like – on the back of his neck, his head shot up and spun around, looking at the dark haired boy guiltily whilst smuggling the cursed sheet unobtrusively into his pocket.

Shutoku's point guard regarded him suspiciously for a moment before beaming at him and chirping in his annoyingly bright voice, "So, Shin-chan! What's happening with you? You seemed reeeaaally absorbed in that piece of paper."

With that, Takao began to manipulate and manoeuvre his way towards the pocket which contained the instructions. Blushing and backing away, Midorima fended his friend – not that he'd admit that to anyone – off with his arms.

"N-nothing! It's nothing!" It was unfortunate that his voice squeaked with nervousness by the end of his adamant denial. Taking a breath to steady himself, Midorima cleared his throat, pushed up his glasses and repeated, firmly this time, "Takao. It's nothing for you to worry about. Now, I think we're late for training."

Turning, Midorima strode briskly towards the gym leaving Takao staring after his back in the hallway.

* * *

As Midorima dragged his feet towards Maji Burgers, a black blur could be seen bounding from corner to corner behind him. Clothed in an outfit of pure black – along with a dark cap and sunglasses – Takao was on a mission. Specifically, a mission to spy on his Shin-chan. The shooting guard had been acting strangely distant and distracted the whole week, he hadn't been parted from a certain sheet of paper and during any moments of down time the green haired boy would take it out, smooth it reverently and study the words on it in depth, occasionally raising his head and make furtive glances around him to ensure he was alone. Suffice to say, Takao had been intrigued and if prodded further, grudgingly admit a little jealous. Since this…_document_ – this was thought with no little distaste – had appeared, Shin-chan had been completely absorbed and as a result had spent little to no time with Takao, acting defensive and evasive whenever questioned. Finally, after four days of little success, Takao had managed to get a glimpse over Shin-chan's shoulder. And he had immediately wished that his streak of failure had continued, that he had never managed to lay eyes on that page, for written across the top in bold black letters was, "How to Seduce Kuroko Tetsuya, an Indepth Guide by the Amazing, Brilliant, Fantastic Kise Ryota".

Takao's heart had pounded and ached like nothing he had ever felt before, threatening to crack right in two and subsequently sunk to the tips of his toes. How had he not known? He had made it his business to know _everything_ about Shin-chan, from his daily horoscopes and lucky items as ordained by Oha-Asa, the nearest shops that carried the sometimes random and downright lunatic auspicious charms, to the certain phrases, faces and antics Takao had to pull to make him smile on one of his bad days. All of this was meticulously researched, recorded and after many blunders and failures, the end near-perfect data was guaranteed to win the green haired boy's heart for himself. How could he have been so blind to where Shin-chan's true affections lay? He had almost given up after seeing what that sheet had so brazenly pronounced but if he was anything, Takao was stubborn. He had to see them for himself.

* * *

A thick uncomfortably and awkward silence had descended upon the table of the Generation of Miracles. Murisakibara shuffled minutely in his seat, Kise coughed discreetly, Kuroko sighed internally, Aomine was determinedly scowling down at the table and Midorima was wracking his brains, trying to recall the obnoxious advice Kise had written down. Only Akashi seemed to be perfectly at ease with the tension, delicately picking at his special order from the luxurious restaurant down the road.

Clearing his throat, Midorima tried again, "So…Kuroko…you…um look good today." Seeing the unimpressed look Kise was shooting him, the bespectacled boy added in a lewd, horrendously fake wink. Wincing at his pathetic excuse of flirtation he glanced desperately around for help. Unfortunately for him, the only one game enough to meet his gaze was his captain and he froze upon being on the receiving end of the demanding narrow eyed stare. A part of his mind idly wondered if this was what prey in the wild felt like right before the predator at the top of the food chain pounced and tore them to pieces. Akashi's eyes seemed to bore straight into his brain and the message was suddenly clear, crystal clear, as if the red head had said it out loud, "Up your performance, or there will be consequences."

Panicked and abruptly aware of the potential that his life span might end right that day, Midorima did the first thing that popped into his head. He reached out, grabbed Kuroko by the ears and planted a big, wet smack onto the phantom player's lips.

If Midorima had thought the silence before was awful, it was nothing compared to what it was now. It was broken by a tearful gasp from the table beside them. Thinking that he recognised the voice, the green haired boy turned and immediately stopped cold. Oh fuck, his mind helpfully supplied.

Next to them sat Takao. Takao who had tears threatening to spill from eyes that were full of hurt and betrayal. Seeing that he had been discovered he attempted a wobbly smile of greeting then impatiently dashed away the wet trails on his cheeks and practically sprinted out the diner.

Midorima was still for a moment, horror like he had never felt before settled on him like a thick blanket. It was only when Kuroko jabbed him gently in the side with his elbow and giving him a sympathetic look uttered quietly, "Go. Go after him, Midorima-kun." That jolted him out of his daze and with a quick glance to his ex-captain, he dashed after the dark haired boy, praying that he could catch up to him.

"Well," Akashi stated, taking a sip out of the china teacup he had procured out of nowhere at the start of their meeting, "That was unexpected."

The rest of his ex-team mates shivered sightly. It was clear from the tone of his voice, that everything that had happened that afternoon was in fact _not _unexpected – maybe even planned – by their uncanny leader.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! As always, I'd be ecstatic if you left a note!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! The beginning of this chapter was so easy to write then I got towards the end and completely blanked, haha. I apologise in advance, not much interaction between Kuroko and Aomine buuuut it's coming! I promise!**

**Hope you all enjoy this.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"Takao! Wait!"

Midorima pelted down the street at full speed after his errant team mate. Rolling his eyes, he bade his dignity farewell, but then again after what had occurred at Maji Burgers, sprinting down the crowded walkway whilst yelling like a maniac was small fry. He was just thinking that someone up there really had it in for him today when he was divinely proven correct. A small food cart had hurtled out of nowhere, heading straight for Takao. Admist the screams and shouts of warning, the black haired boy could only widen his eyes, raise his arms in an effort to shield his face and brace himself for the painful impact. As expected Takao landed on the ground in a heap but instead of his side exploding with pain, he only felt a heavy pressure on his back. Twisting around in confusion, he met bright green eyes filled with concern.

"Sh-Shin-chan-"

Ignoring the bewilderment in Takao's voice, Midorima cut across him brusquely, "Takao. Are you alright?" Then proceeded to pat the other boy down, looking for any injuries that he might have sustained.

Takao watched him with tears beginning to blur his vision. He had never seen Shin-chan look so distressed and worried before and against his will, a small bubble of hope began to form.

Assured that Takao was indeed unharmed, Midorima made to rise before collapsing and swearing darkly in pain.

"Shin-chan! What's wrong?" Takao gently pushed the shooting guard off him and frantically inspected the taller boy's body before moaning in despair. "Shin-chan! Your ankle!"

Following his friend's gaze down, Midorima thought mildly that his ankle looked like it had recently consumed an eggplant which had turned radioactive and was now glowing purple through his skin. He had just raised his head to inform Takao of that fact only to see the dark haired boy in full panic mode, squawking at bystanders to call an ambulance, a firetruck, the police, ANYTHING! Instead of cutting the other boy off with a rude sarcastic comment like he normally would, Midorima felt the corner of his mouth kick up in amusement and fondness.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Shin-chan! It's all my fault, if I hadn't been such an idiot then none of this would have happened…"

Midorima tuned Takao out as he hobbled down the white hallway of the local hospital, struggling to balance on his crutches and clutch the bag of anti-inflammatory medication at the same time. As luck would have had it, he hadn't broken anything, just sprained his ankle – really badly. As Takao continued to babble apologies, explanations and excuses alongside him, the shooter's mind wandered. He couldn't quite comprehend the horrible sinking feeling that had settled over him like a thick blanket back at Maji Burgers when he had realised Takao had seen the whole…incident. Seeing Takao's broken expression directed at him had felt like being hit by a truck then getting dipped in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean and then being forcibly made to swallow a gigantic meteorite which then settled at the pit of his stomach. Frowning slightly, Midorima could feel the answer to his overreaction slowly dawning on him. Annoyed that the thought was flitting through his fingertips, refusing to settle, he broke down the situation and began to analyse the pieces. The fact that he had reacted to Takao's pain meant that – Midorima gulped – he _cared _about his team mate. That idea made him break into a sweat, he was Midorima Shintaro for heaven's sake, he wasn't meant to care about _anyone_ let alone the annoying, yappy-won't-shut-up-to-save-his-life, clingy, intelligent, funny, reliable, adorably cute –

Midorima skidded to a halt. The reality of the situation and his feelings came crashing down on him like a tonne of cement blocks. He was almost as delusional and stupid as Ahomine – _almost_.

"Takao!" Midorima barked.

The point guard stopped midsentence and blinked up at him.

"We need to talk."

Takao paled as he remembered exactly why this accident had occurred. Despite his best efforts, moisture gathered over his vision and he turned his face away.

Sighing, Midorima shuffled to the row of plastic chairs which lined the hall. He motioned to Takao to take the seat next to him before stacking his crutches on his other side. Before Midorima could begin his explanation, Takao was already off, rambling at such high speeds the bespectacled boy could only catch phrases which sounded a lot like, "I was worried, and a bit jealous…trying to confirm my suspicious…I know it was wrong to follow and spy on you…I'm so so so so so sorry…I'll understand if you never forgive me…but you and Kuroko…kissing…...and it hurt to see you two together but you looked so cute as a couple…"

At that, Midorima had to cut his friend off. What the hell? Him and Kuroko _cute_ together?! Where did that come from, and did Takao just say he was _jealous_ and _hurt_? Something a lot like masculine satisfaction and relief – it was clear to him that Takao returned his less than platonic feelings – welled up in his chest which he promptly shoved aside to concentrate on the, admittedly, one sided conversation.

"Will you listen to me, Takao!"

For the second time in as many minutes, Takao fell silent, looking up at Midorima like a kicked puppy begging to be forgiven by its adored master. Letting out a frustrated huff, Midorima attempted to explain the muddled, ludicrous situation.

"So, do you understand now?"

Looking down at his team mate Midorima was understandably shocked when he saw pure sympathy and pain in silvery blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Shin-chan. I completely understand how hard unrequited love is to deal with. I can only imagine how long you must have kept your feelings for Kuroko-san secret-"

"WHAT?! No! No, no, no, no, NO!" Midorima reeled back in horror at that thought, "Damnnit Takao! Don't you get what I'm trying to say?"

"I do! You're in love with Kuroko-san but Akashi-san is making you help Kuroko-san and Aomine-san get together instead-"

Deciding that the only way to get his real intentions across was to repeat this afternoon's performance – albeit in a hopefully much less awkward and uncomfortable way – Midorima gently cupped Takao's cheek with a shaky hand and muttering a silent prayer, closed his eyes and lightly pressed his lips against Takao's. He could feel the other boy stiffen in surprise but determined to prove his point, Midorima increased the pressure, drawing closer to the dark haired boy.

The reaction Midorima was searching for came out of nowhere; with a muffled joyful cry, Takao flung his arms around the taller boy's neck and proceeded to kiss Midorima to an inch of his life. Smiling slightly, Midorima slid his other arm around Takao's waist and pulled the other boy into his lap.

* * *

After getting the hysterical and confusing call from Takao, the remaining members of the Generation of Miracles raced to the hospital. They were just barrelling around the last corner when Akashi, leading the pack, came to an abrupt stop causing the rest of his ex-teammates to crash into his back. Shooting them an annoyed look, he returned to surveying the scene before them. A satisfied and sly smile slid across his face before returning to its previous blank expression. Turning around and strolling down the hallway leisurely, he called back to the group of gobsmacked players, "Come. They need their privacy."

Aomine, Kuroko, Kise and Murisakibara automatically responded to the command, walking dazedly behind their leader, their jaws still on the floor. Aomine recovered his ability to speak first, "W-w-w-what was t-that? S-s-since when…?"

"Don't think too hard Daiki, your brain's not used to it. Come along now."

* * *

**So, one couple down!..and heaps to go ;)**

**I would really appreciate it if you left a message!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

**Hm, I'm not too sure of this chapter but felt like I should post it anyways since it's been a good month since the last update. It wasn't meant to take such a serious turn, or at least serious compared to the previous chapters. The next chapter is already in the works (at least in my head) so hopefully it will be lighter and cheerier. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

Akashi wasted no time in pushing his following plans into motion. Sending a meaningful look to the giant next to him he tilted his head subtly towards the two bluenettes walking in front of them. Other than an almost inaudible sigh, Murasakibara offered no complaints and moved forward obediently. He would only ever do this for his adored Aka-chin. Still munching on the packet of crisps he held in one large hand, he proceeded to interject himself between the ex-partners. One of whom immediately began to yell abuse and demands of explanations for his actions. Shooting Mine-chin a brief quelling look, Murasakibara peered down at his smallest team mate. After a quiet moment of contemplation he stretched out his arm, offering the phantom player the colourful metallic foil package reverently.

"It's the new flavour."

The loud protests coming out of Aomine's mouth abruptly stopped. Kuroko in turn glanced impassively over his shoulder at his devil of an ex-captain before smiling slightly up at taller boy.

"Thank you, Murasakibara-kun, it's very kind of you to offer," Kuroko murmured, reaching daintily into the packet and withdrawing a chip. Coincidentally, he caught sight of Aomine-kun's face whence he quickly stuffed the salty treat into his mouth before he burst out laughing. The pale boy could already hear an odd noise coming from behind him which, funnily enough, sounded a lot like Kise-kun's gurgle of laughter which was abruptly strangled at the end, most probably their illustrious leader's doing. Instead of turning around and getting sucked into the blonde's crazy antics, Kuroko marched stoically along with Murasakibara-kun, occasionally engaging in quiet conversation, leaving his light standing stock still in the middle of the pathway.

* * *

It was going to take a force of nature for Aomine to scrape his jaw off the floor. His mind was in a whirl trying desperately to process the highly irregular happenings of the past few hours. And even though it hurt his head and made his eyes sting a little from concentrating so hard, it was a lot better than to dwell on the heavy feeling in his stomach, the hard lump in his throat and a hell of a lot better than to sort out the intermittent pulses of sharp stabs in his chest.

The afternoon, in fact the past month, had gone from irritating to something that seemed to have crawled its way out of his darkest nightmares. Before today, he had prayed that this was some kind of evil twisted prank being played by the universe. Firstly, seeing Kise's hands and body all over Kuroko had been bad, and sure, Aomine had wanted to rip the stupidly pretty blonde's head from his torso for even _thinking_ of looking at _his_ shadow, let alone actually laying a hand on him, but he had known that despite what Kuroko might have said that one afternoon, it had meant nothing to the small bluenette.

But then _Midorima_ of all people suddenly developed an avid interest in Kuroko. Only one phrase had been going through Aomine's mind, the second he realised the green-haired boy's intentions, "What. The. Actual. Hell." That smug arrogant son of a bitch had _never_ shown any partiality towards Kuroko. Ever. What could have possibly possessed the long ranged shooter to fucking _kiss_ his shadow? Then to make things even more bizarre, to the point where Aomine's brain was actually starting to throb, Midorima had raced off before the kiss was even finished to chase after that Shutoku point guard. That was the one point Aomine couldn't get over. How could someone have the honour of kissing those pouty lips and not take full advantage. Hell, Aomine had only gotten the briefest of tastes of Kuroko's mouth and he had been dreaming, _yearning_, to repeat the experience. That bespectacled bastard had gotten a full extra 0.5 seconds on Aomine and had run like a bat out of hell, through the door, after another male. To the formless shooter, this was taking idiocy to the edges of extreme.

Then the whipped cream on top of this messed-up-afternoon-sundae-from-the-depths-of-hell – because, no, the cherry was yet to come – was getting a desperate, hysterical call from Takao that Midorima was in the fucking hospital. The whole team of miracles had frozen and stared at each other in horror and abject fear before getting up as one and racing to the hospital at inhumane speeds – all the while attempting to push down the tidal wave of concern and muttering prayers to any deities who deigned to listen – only to find upon getting there that Midorima was _fine_, more than fine, from the way he was clutching at the dark haired boy in his lap. And seriously, ew, Aomine could have lived the rest of his life happily without having to see his superstitious teammate eating another guy's face off.

As according to Akashi's wishes, the former teammates left the hospital quietly, leaving the two new love birds in peace and before they had walked more than half a mile from the place and WAY before the shock had settled, the metaphorical cherry from purgatory landed on the sundae of suffering that was Aomine's life. Murasakibara offered Kuroko his snack. An _opened_ snack that the freakishly toy boy had already started on. A snack that was of the current 'Limited Edition Flavour of the Week' promotion. Aomine's heart stopped then and there. This, coming from the Yosen player, was equivalent to a fucking marriage proposal from anyone else. Aomine's poor abused organ was abruptly restarted by the kick to his chest when he saw Kuroko accepting said proffered treat. And still, Aomine clung onto the hope that this was some sick joke but not once did his former partner glance back at him, to gauge his reaction or to shoot a rare cheeky smile that would have signalled that everything was fine, it was just a joke and 'relax, Aomine-kun'. Instead the four Teiko teammates continued along the path as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if Aomine's universe had not suddenly swerved and severely tilted off its axis. He was so used to Kuroko being the centre of his world, and even during their falling out, Aomine had held onto the belief that his shadow would come back, come back to _him_ and thus had reserved that spot, keeping it empty, waiting for his partner to realise that he had belonged to and always will to Aomine Daiki.

But now, Aomine wasn't so sure that he ever had.

* * *

**I'm tossing up between exploring Murisakibara's intended romance further or just leaving it brief snippets in the later chapters, what do you guys think?**


End file.
